Leadership & Staff

KEY STAFF

SELECT STAFF BIOS

SABRA JONES (Producing Artistic Director & Founder) founded the Mirror under the mentorship of Harold Clurman, Ellis Raab, Eva Le Gallienne, Alan Schneider, and John Gielgud. Under her artistic direction, Mirror's work has been nominated for a Tony, as well as numerous other awards, including Best Overall Excellence and Best Acting Ensemble (Outer Critics), as well as being recognized for an award-winning Arts & Education program (Brown and Williamson Award). As a the daughter-in-law of the late Lee Strasberg of Actors Studio fame, she taught at the Strasberg Institute at his request, co-wrote the Tisch School of the Arts Curricula for the Institute, and is on the roster at Pace University and Manhattanville College as well as teaching privately. As a producer, Sabra’s credits include: Broadway, television (Artistic Consultant for WNET13 Master Works), and 172 other productions in New York, London, and regionally. As an actress, credits include: numerous Broadway (“Butterflies Are Free,” “Six Degrees of Separation”) and regional performances, as well as work at The Metropolitan Opera (“La Fille du Regiment,” “Les Troyens”). She is also an award-winning writer, receiving awards for her poetry (“Christus Neger”, University of California, First Prize) and her plays (Best New Play Award, Dramalogue). Her further writing credits include interviews with former Philippine presidents Garcia, Macapagal, and Marcos as well as features on Corrigidor’s infamous Malinta Tunnel. A professional director, credits at G.A.A.R. include: “The Seagull,” "The Three Sisters," “You Can’t Take It With You,” “Peter Pan,” "The Fantasticks," The Miracle Worker, The Music Man," "The Sound of Music, "Hamlet," and "To Kill A Mockingbird." She is a member of the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers and directed "The Children's Hour" in New York in 2012, as well as most of the Shakespearean canon in various NYC Arts in Education Programs. She looks forward to directing the World Premiere of the new play by Bernard (Elephant Man) Pomerance to open the Mirror's 2017 Summer Season in Vermont.

JUSTIN JACOBS (Music Director), a native of Melbourne, Australia was appointed Director of Music at the National Theatre in 1997 and went on to conduct and musically direct several Broadway productions, among them "Fiddler on The Roof," "The Boy from Oz," and "Forbidden Broadway." Since moving to America, he has worked on the piano faculty at Music In Chappaqua, NY, where he has also been music director of the music theater department. With the GAAR, Justin was the Music Director for "The Fantasticks, "The Sound of Music," "The Music Man," "Carousel," "Kiss Me Kate," "Annie Get Your Gun," and "The Sleeping Beauty."

MARLA SCHAFFEL (Artist-in-Residence) is a Tony nominated actress as well as the winner of a Drama Desk Award, Drama League Award, and Outer Critics Circle Award, all for Best Actress in a Musical, for starring as "Jane Eyre" on Broadway. Marla's other Broadway credits include "Titanic" and "Les Miserable," as well as starring in the national tours of "Evita," "My Fair Lady," "White Christmas," and "The Sound of Music." Marla created the leading roles off-Broadway in "Enter Laughing," "Christina Alberta's Father," "Enter the Guardsman," "Fanny Hill," "Tall Grass," and "A Broadway Diva Christmas." Her regional credits include leading roles in world premiere musicals "Jane Eyre," "Let Me Sing," "They All Laughed," "Lucky in The Rain," "Glimmerglass," as well as in the classics like "West Side Story, A Little Night Music," and great plays like "Fool For Love," and "Top Girls," among others. Ms. Schaffel also starred in the critically acclaimed independent feature film, "I Love You, Don't Touch Me!" and created the pivotal role of Bever Woman in Tim Robbins's film "Cradle Will Rock." In TV she had a recurring role as the star's rocker ex-girlfriend on "Kung Fu: The Legend Continues" and has appeared in "Law and Order: Special Victims Unit" and "Law and Order: Criminal Intent." Her voice can be heard on several recordings, including "Jane Eyre" (Original Broadway Cast Recording and world premiere Toronto Cast Recording), "The Prince of Egypt" (soundtrack), "The Broadway Musicals of 1949," "A Prairie Home Companion Christmas," and on several Saturday morning cartoons. Marla is a graduate of the Juilliard School drama division and studied at the Moscow Art Theatre School.

MARILYN S. MILLER (Executive Director) Beginning with the original “Oh Dad, Poor Dad…” spent sixteen years with New York's esteemed Phoenix Theatre, on Broadway and national tours as: General Manager of APA-Phoenix (Ellis Rabb, Artistic Director), with numerous plays in rotating repertory, at the Lyceum Theatre; Executive Director of New Phoenix Repertory Theatre (Harold Prince, Stephen Porter, Artistic Directors); Partner, Weiler/Miller Associates, Executive Directors/General Managers, On-and Off-Broadway (premieres of “Nine,” “Wind in the Willows,” “Cloud Nine,” “A Coupla White Chicks,” among many); TONY’s, OBIES, and other awards; over 25 years as General Managers/Executive Directors of the Mirorr Repertory Company, Sabra Jones, Artistic Director, in and out of New York and in London. Other: seminars and lectures in theatre at various universities; two degrees in theatre; early career as a Director, Production Stage Manager, Lighting Designer. Consultant to many dormant theatres, creating their new lives as revived, successful operations. Most memorable fun: the Phoenix production on Broadway of “Harvey” with Jimmy Stewart and Helen Hayes, running for several months to great acclaim.

BRIAN COX (Co-Artistic Director) is an award-winning actor of the stage, screen and television. He has appeared in dozens of plays on the stages of London, New York and Scotland. Cox earned AFI and Independent Spirit Award nominations for his work in the critically hailed independent film “L.I.E.” and also shared a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination as part of the ensemble cast of Spike Jonze’s “Adaptation.” His most recent film credits include roles in “The Autopsy of Jane Doe,” “Red 2,” “Coriolanus,” “Rise of the Planet of the Apes,” “The Campaign,” and “Blood.” Additionally, he has appeared in“The Good Heart,” “Tell-Tale,” “The Escapist,” “Troy,” “X2,” “Zodiac,” “25th Hour,” “The Bourne Identity,” “The Bourne Supremacy,” “The Ring,” “Red,” “The Rookie,” “The Affair of the Necklace,” “For the Love of the Game,” “Rushmore,” Desperate Measures,” “The Boxer,” “Kiss the Girls,” “Braveheart,” “Rob Roy,” “Manhunter,” “Hidden Agenda,” and “Nicholas and Alexandra.” Repeatedly honored for his work in the theatre, Cox won two Olivier Awards for his performances in “Rat in the Skull” and “Titus Andronicus”; British Theatre Association Drama Awards for Best Actor for his work in “The Taming of the Shrew” and “Strange Interlude”; and the Lucille Lortel Award, as well as Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle nominations, for “St. Nicholas.” He spent eight months in London’s West End, starring as Max in Tom Stoppard’s “Rock ‘n Roll,” a role he reprised on Broadway. Cox was also seen on Broadway in “The Championship Season.” Cox has also helmed stage productions of “I Love My Life,” “Mrs. Warren’s Profession,” “The Philanderer,” “The Master Builder” and “Richard III.” In 2003, Cox’s contributions to the arts were honored by Queen Elizabeth II, who named him a Commander of the British Empire. In 2006, Empire Magazine honored his film achievements with the Empire Icon Award and, in 2007, the UK Film Council named him one of the Top 10 powerful British film stars in Hollywood today.

EVE POMERANCE (Casting Director) began her Casting career in the 1990's when she produced two features after leaving the London Film School. She then went to work as an assistant for a talent agent at ICM UK. This lead to being asked to cast industry readings for 5th Night Reading series (NYC) and BFI's Script Factory, which she helped to set up and was asked to join the Board of Directors. In 2009 Eve formed Major Motion Pictures with her partner, Jonathan Mossek, in order to produce, 'As Good as Dead.' She was uncredited as one of the Casting Directors and cast: Andie Macdowell, Carey Elwes, Frank Whaley and Brian Cox. Then she garnered her first casting credit on "Festival of Light" where she cast: Aidan Quinn and Jimi Mistry. Subsequently Eve cast several independent features, a Drama Documentary for Ric Burns and two video games for Sony.

SONIA DUNBAR (Wardrobe Director) been involved with GAAR since 2007, serving both onstage stage and off as a musician and actress (including H6R3, Our Town, and The Miracle Worker), and as GAAR’s wardrobe mistress, a position that has expanded over the years to include design and construction of costumes for productions such as Hamlet, Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are Dead, Kiss Me Kate, Carousel, and The Miracle Worker. Prior to joining GAAR, she was a twenty-plus year member of the Society for Creative Anachronism, Inc., an historical re-creation organization covering the period c. 450 CE to 1625 CE. While in the SCA, Sonia focused on period arts, including the research, design and construction of period clothing for men and women, winning several awards for her work. An ethnic dancer who performed, choreographed, and taught North African, Central Asian, and Middle Eastern modern and ethnic styles of dance for many years, she also designed and constructed stage costumes with an eye toward balancing authenticity of design with the dancers’ special costuming needs. Sonia earned her BA in pre-classical instrumental music from Wells College, and is an attorney and lay minister. She is a past juried member of Athena’s Thimble (the SCA Embroiderer’s Guild), past member of Arachne’s Web (the SCA Lace-maker’s Guild), and a current member of The Costume Society (UK) and the Vermont Bar Association.

MARSHA DANIELS-GADOURY (Hospitality Manager) is the daughter of the well known make-up artist and theatrical costumer in Boston, Murl Daniels, working with her dad on many occasions. Her background as an employee of the Grand Lodge of Masons, while her dad was then "wardrobe master," also taught her about the theater. As a young adult she became a Supervisor of Ticketing with United Airlines in NYC, later becoming a Travel Agent and Deputy Tax Collector, all leading her to Greensboro and GAAR